Method of preventing foaming in bottle-cleaning apparatus



ay 13, 1947. P. M. KALLUSKY METHOD OF PREVENTIIzIG FOAMING I N BOTTLE CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21, 1942 Patented May 13, 1947 METHOD OF PREVENTING FOAMIN G IN BOTTLE-CLEANING APPARATUS Philipp M. Kallusky, San Francisco, Calif., as-

signor of one-half to Clarence E. Kallusky,

Wadena, Minn.

Application December 21, 1942, Serial No. 469,761

3 Claims. 1 My invention relates to a method of preventing foaming in bottle cleaning apparatus, and has for its object to provide a simple and efiicient means for eliminating the froth and foam which heretofore has formed in large quantities as empty but labeled bottles, such as soft drink bottles, are washed and the labels removed in a standard machine for accomplishing that result. As is well known, soft drinks comprise carbonated water to which has been added syrups of many different flavors and types, this mixture producing a pleasant and invigorating drink. Such soft drinks are customarily put up in bottles each of which contains substantially a glassful of carbonated drink. These bottles are sealed with sealing caps and carr on their side a label which designates the name of the drink and of its manufacturer. As is well known, means of dispensing such bottled drinks to the consumer customarily include a body of water suitably cooled either by ice or by refrigerating apparatus in which the bottles are submerged until called for. The labels must remain on the bottles during this period of immersion in cold water, for which reason special types of adhesives or glues have been devised which are normally insoluble in water or soluble to so small a degree that the labels will not soak off in the time of immersion usually required before sale.

Apparatus for washing the bottles requires not only the complete cleansing and sterilization of the inside and outside of the bottles, but also the removal of the labels and the adhesive or glue by which they are attached. To effect this a solution of caustic soda in a very considerable mass and heated to a suitable temperature is providedin a large tank. Endless chain apparatus carries the bottles, over a considerable period of time, through this body of caustic soda solution, and subsequently inverts the bottles, at which time a powerful jet of the caustic soda solution is forced into the bottles, and thereafter the bottles are rinsed in clear water and taken from the machine to be filled and capped. During the travel through the body of caustic soda solution the glue holding the labels on the bottles is dissolved away by the solution and the labels fall or are Washed off.

At the start of this operation there is little or no diificulty from foaming, but gradually the percentage of adhesive or glue in the caustic soda solution increases until it becomes a mixture of a saponaceous nature, that is, a mixture or solution of caustic soda or the like and organic matter from the glue or adhesive which has the characteristics of a saponaceous mixture and produces the tough films which cause foam to be developed as the solution is caused to splash back into the main body in the tank from the sprays for washing the bottles above that body.

Foaming, literally the equivalent of soap suds, may become so great as to entirely fill the Whole apparatus and overflow, and to necessitate lon periods of idleness or disuse of the plant to get rid of the foam. This condition has existed for a very long time and no means has been discovered for eliminating it.

In connection with operating such bottle Washing apparatus, I discovered that the application to the mass of foam and the body of caustic soda solution, of carbonated water such as is used in making the soft drinks, has the effect of almost instantly eliminating and destroying the foam itself and the tendency to form foam of the main body of liquid. I discovered that an application of carbonated water over the whole body of the foaming surface of the caustic soda solution, not only eliminates the foam already formed, but prevents a recurrence of foaming for several hours.

It is a particular object of my invention, therefore, in connection with a means of washing labeled bottles and removing the labels therefrom, to apply to the body of caustic soda solution, when foaming of the same in the practice of the washing operation takes place, a requisite amount of carbonated water, thereby to check and eliminate the foaming.

It is a further object of my invention to apply the carbonated water to the foaming mass over its entire exposed surface and over the surface of the body of caustic soda solution in the tank.

It is a further object of my invention to form a spray of carbonated water taken directly from the carbonator employed in the bottling process and to cause said spray to impinge upon all parts of the foaming surface of the body of caustic soda solution in the tank, and upon the mass of foam thereon.

It is a further object of my invention to control the spraying operation so that. it will take place for a definitely limited time only long enough to check and eliminate foaming, and that the spraying step will be effected for such short limited times periodically at sufficiently spaced intervals so that the spraying operation will occur only as frequently and for as short durations as is necessary to check and eliminate foaming.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the descrip bottles carried thereby 3 tion of the process hereinafter given in the appended specification, and the novel features of the invention by which the aforesaid advantageous and desirable results are obtained will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The single figure of the drawings illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view somewhat schematically outlined, of a bottle washing apparatus having associated therewith the means for practicing the process of my invention.

As illustrated, a tank of relatively great length in proportion to its width has therein a body of caustic soda solution H with its surface as indicated at I2. An endless chain I3 of well known construction, shown in position somewhat diagrammatically, has a horizontal loading portion 14 to which extends an opening 15 in a top casing portion IS. The labeled bottles have their neck heads 11 secured to receive a means carried by endless chain l3 of common construction, not shown, such that the bottles are at all times held extending outwardly and substantially vertically away from the runs of the endless chain. A bottom run l8 extends longitudinally through the body of caustic soda solution H as shown,

with the bottles in an upright position and completely immersed in the caustic soda solution. A vertical run 19 of endless chain carries the bottles to a second horizontal run 20 where, as clearly shown, the bottles are held in an inverted position. While in this inverted position, jets 2| of caustic soda solution from a horizontal pipe 22 underlying the endless chain and the are forced into the interior of the bottles as clearly shown, this action being effected by a pump 23 which through a pipe 24 leads to the jet pipe 22. Other sprays wash the outsides of the bottles with caustic soda solution, as from openings 25 in a supplementary upper chamber 26 holding a body of caustic soda solution 2'! which is replenished from the main body of caustic solution II by means, not shown, extending from the pump 23.

The endless chain 13 is turned backward over sprocket carriers, indicated at 50, and is carried into a body of water in a tank which has a sloping backwardly turned rear wall 52 adapted to drain the caustic supply from nozzles 2| away from the water tank 5|. The bottles are inverted in the water of tank 5| and are filled with clean water which is subsequently discharged, as hereinafter pointed out.

The endless chain I3 is also turned upwardly, as indicated at 42, where it goes over a sprocket 43 in a position to overlie discharge platform 28 which permits the washed bottles to pass through opening 29 to be withdrawn from the washing apparatus above platform 44. The top chamber 3| is provided, from a source not shown, with clean water as indicated at 46, which water flows from nozzles 30 upon the outside of the bottles and into the tank 5i and down the sloping front wall 53 thereof and inside of said bottles for a final internal rinse as they go .down the sloping platform 28 by which the bottles are finally cleansed. The excess water from tank 5| is drained off through openings 54 and 55 by means of pipes, not shown.

A'carbonating tank indicated diagrammatically at 32 is the customary carbonating tank used in bottling works. From it in the practice of my process, I run a pipe 33 having a top horizontal section 34 extending lengthwise along the main tank In and spaced away from the surface l2 of the caustic soda solution in the'tank; The pipe section 34 is provided with a multiplicity of n02- zles 35 from which a spray may be delivered to cover the entire surface l2 of the body of caustic soda solution H. An automatic valve 36 operated by a motor 31 is diagrammatically indicated. It is a valve of common construction which, through operation of the motor will be caused to open, at suitably spaced relatively long intervals of say one and a half to two and a half hours, for short periods of time, in practice only a minute or two. When the valve is open the carbonated water will spray out from the spray nozzles 35 over the entire surface of the body of caustic soda solution in the main tank, and upon any foam thereon. This will have the effect as heretofore stated, of checking and eliminating foaming from the soda solution and will permit continuous operation of the bottle washing machine with all of the difficulties of foaming heretofore encountered in the operation of said machine entirely and at all times avoided.

The advantages of my invention have been very clearly indicated heretofore. The practice of the method herein claimed will relieve from the very serious and hampering difficulties which have resulted from formation of masses of foam due to the addition of glue or adhesive in the caustic soda solution s0 as to render it saponaceous and therefore foam-forming.

I claim:

1. The method of eliminating foam from a body of liquid employed in a process which causes the formation of foam in the liquid solution and masses of foam upon the surface thereof, wherein articles such as labeled bottles are washed in a. highly alkaline liquid, which consists in the formation of a body of carbonated water saturated with carbon dioxide, and held therein under pressure, delivering the said saturated carbonated water by said pressure from its body above the surface of the liquid and the foam thereon, and forcing a requisite amount of said carbonated water upon and through the masses of foam and upon and into the body of said liquid.

2. The method of eliminating foam froma body of liquid solution employed in a process which causes the formation of foam in the liquid and of masses of foam upon the surface thereof, wherein articles such as labeled bottles are washed in a highly alkaline liquid consisting of a caustic soda solution, which consists in the formation of a body of carbonated water saturated with carbon dioxide, holding said body under pressure, delivering the said saturated carbonated water by said pressure from its body in the form of jets to points near to and above the entire surface of said body of liquid and the masses of foam thereon, and releasing the pressure to force a requisite amount of said carbonated water upon and through the entire area of the masses of foam and upon and into the body of said liquid over their entire surface. 7

3. The method of eliminating foam from a body of liquid solution employed in a process which causes the formation of foam in the liquid and of masses of foam upon the surface thereof, wherein articles such as labeled bottles are washed in a highly alkaline liquid consisting of a caustic soda solution, which consists in the formation of a body of carbonated water saturated with carbon dioxide, holding said body under pressure, delivering the said saturated carbonated water by said pressure from its body in the form of jets to points near to and above the entire 5 surface of said body of liquid and the masses of foam thereon, releasing the pressure to force a requisite amount of said carbonated water upon and through the entire area of the masses of foam and upon and into the body of said liquid over their entire surface, and controlling the release of pressure to cause formation of said jets for predetermined short periods of time at predetermined intervals apart.

PHILIPP M. KALLUSKY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gregg et al Aug. 29, 1876 Adams et a1 Dec. 1, 1903 Boudwin May 25, 1915 Wirth-Frey Sept. 23, 1919 Borcherdt Apr. 26, 1921 Webster Dec. 15, 1931 Guest July 26, 1932 Bradford May 2, 1933 Herold et a1 "Nov. 26, 1935 Stegemann Aug. 11, 1936 Batcheler Oct. 5, 1943 

